Thanks again everyone for reviewing :) I'm officially on Christmas vacation so I'll be updating a lot. I intend to make this a long story so Beth and Daryl's relationship isn't going to take off immediately, I want them to slowly fall in love.
Beth focused on the target, a red spray painted circle on the tree in front of her.
"Good," said Daryl from behind her, "Now when you're ready, shoot." Beth pulled the trigger. The arrow shot through the air and hit the middle of the target. After an hour of practicing she had finally got it. She jumped into the air with excitement and turned around and pulled him into an unexpected hug.
"Thanks so much Daryl!" she said. She could feel him hesitate at first and then lightly put his arms around her.
"No problem," he said gruffly. She pulled away from him and said
"How do you do it so fast? It took me that long to finally hit the target." He shrugged and said
"Lots of practice." They headed back up to the house.
"So what are the plans for the rest of the day?" asked Beth.
"I was thinkin' about going huntin'. Hopefully I can find something better than just squirrels."
"Are we gonna go back out and look for them?" asked Beth. Daryl turned to her.
"If they're out there they'll see that sign, there ain't a point in going up and down the road over 'n over again." Beth knew what he said made sense but still felt like they needed to do something to search for the others. "I promise we'll keep lookin' Beth but for now we needa stay here, build up our strength and store up some food. Then we can move on." She felt like protesting, telling him they needed to start looking as quickly as possible but she knew he was right. They were no good to the others if they were weak, starved or worse, dead. She nodded and said
"Well then I guess we should get comfortable here," they were both still covered in dirt, sweat and dried blood. "I need to shower or something." They went upstairs and tried the shower in the bathroom. Nothing came out. She wasn't much of a high maintenance girl but she needed to clean off somehow. "Didn't you say there was a pond around here?" He caught onto what she was thinking and said
"You can't go in that what if a walker finds you?"
"I'll bring a gun with me," she said. She saw him debating it in his head.
"Fine but I'm comin' with you,"
"No you're not I'm taking my bath privately," Beth felt herself blush as the words tumbled of her mouth, "I'm not getting naked in front of you." Daryl looked shocked and under all the dirt, she thought she could see his own face turning red.
"I ain't suggestin' that!" he said, his voice raised in embarrassment, "I'll just stay nearby and hunt so if you need help you can call." Beth contemplated what he was saying. Any other male she might not have agreed, but she trusted Daryl.
"Fine," she said. She went into the bedroom and pulled out the shampoo, conditioner and soap from their bag. She saw the closed closet over in the corner and went over and opened it up.
"Whatcha lookin' for?" asked Daryl.
"Clothes," said Beth, "There'd be no point in bathing and putting back on dirty clothes." She found a dusty T-shirt and old pair of shorts that looked a bit big for her. "These'll do," she said, dusting them off.
"You gonna bathe after me?" she asked. Daryl grunted indifferently, he had never been one to care much about his appearance, especially since the world had started ending. She pulled out a shirt and pair of pants for him and tossed them to him. She repeated what she said earlier. "If we're gonna stay here might as well get comfortable." They headed back outside and Daryl led the way through the woods. When the pond came in sight Beth was happy to see that it was on the larger side and the water looked clean and not stagnant. She put the fresh clothes and a handgun on a rock next to the pond and turned to Daryl.
"You can go, I'll call if I need anything," he nodded awkwardly and went off into the woods. She waited until she could no longer see him in the trees before she started stripping. She dipped her foot in the water. It was cool and would feel good in the thick summer heat. She walked in without hesitation until she was up to her hips. She dove in head first. The water felt amazing. She surfaced and saw that most of the dirt and blood had been washed away. The bottom was muddy but she paid no attention as she savored the feeling of the water on her bare skin. She went back up on shore and got the bar of soap. She scrubbed hard at her skin, removing every layer of dirt, blood and sweat. She had almost forgotten how fair her skin was as it washed off. She then started roughly massaging the shampoo and conditioner into her head. Her golden hair started to show through again as she washed it out. After she was done she floated on her back, enjoying the sun beating down on her skin. She felt the cleanest she had in a long time.
She wondered how long Daryl expected to stay at the house. It was still the dead of summer but when fall and winter came they would no longer have the luxury of bathing in the pond or walking around the house comfortably. She swam upright and searched for the bottom with her feet. She couldn't find it. She hadn't realized the pond was so deep and swam closer to shore. The horrifying thought that walkers could be at the bottom there crossed her mind. It'd grab her ankle and drag her down before she could even scream. She pushed it out of her mind as she heard a rustling in the bushes. She sunk into the water, covering herself up to her collarbone.
Daryl stalked through the forest, following the tracks of a deer. He found some fresh droppings back along the path and had been tracking it for awhile now. That's when he heard a gun shot go off in the distance. It was Beth, he was sure of it. The sound had come from the direction of the pond. Forgetting about the deer he ran back through the woods, his heart pounding. When he came in sight of the pond and saw Beth in the water. She was up to her neck but was holding the handgun above the water with her hand. He saw two walkers approaching her on the shore, there was one dead on the ground. She shot again and missed.
"What the hell are you doing?!" he said angrily. She turned to look at him, fear, embarrassment and shock playing across her face all at the same time.
"They just appeared, I didn't wanna disturb you!" He quickly shot both the walkers with his crossbow.
"Come on let's go!" he said, "No doubt you just caught the attention of a whole bunch of 'em!" He went behind a tree while she quickly got dressed, then the two headed back to the house. "What the hell were you thinkin'!?" he said, "What if there's a herd passin' through, they could be on their way here right now!" She looked miserable standing there, still dripping wet and looking down at the floor in embarrassment. He tried not to notice how the wet white shirt stuck to her chest, making it almost completely see through. "What was goin' through your mind?!" She looked up at him angrily.
"I was just trying to take care of things myself! I didn't want you to have to come running to my rescue while you tracking for food! I didn't think about the sound the bullet would make."
"Well next time think before you try somethin'," he said. The sun was setting and Daryl went into the kitchen. "Help me get this stuff upstairs," he said grabbing onto the food they'd gotten at the store. "We're gonna have to stay up in the room 'til tomorrow mornin', can't risk 'em seein' us and tryin' to break in." Beth still looked angry but she quickly followed his orders, grabbing onto the remainder of the food. Daryl made sure the front door was locked and moved the couch in front of it before heading upstairs. The sun was starting to set and he went around the room and closed all the shades, plunging them into darkness.
"What are you doing?" said Beth.
"We can't let them see us," he said. His eyes quickly adjusted to the dark and he shut the bedroom door and out a chair in front of it.
"I think your overreacting," said Beth, crossing her arms.
"Look outside," said Daryl. Beth walked over to the window and peeked outside, sure enough there was a new group of walkers lurking around the yard. Daryl had proved his point.
"Sorry," she said, Daryl felt satisfaction in knowing he had been right but a part of him felt bad for Beth. She didn't have a lot of experience killing walkers. Back at the prison she had rarely ever went outside. Being Judith's surrogate mother required her to be inside with her all the time. The most she had done was go around and stab them through the fence.
"I didn't mean to yell at ya like that," he said, "I just wanna make it outta this alive and find the rest of the group." He paused, "I need to keep you safe." He saw her expression soften at that.
"I guess I should of called out for you," she said, "I just want to be able to handle myself, you may not always be here and-" He stopped her there.
"I'll always be here," he said in a voice full of certainty. "I ain't goin' no where, I'm a survivor Beth, always have been. As long as you're here, I'll be here." For the first time he pulled her into a hug rather then her being the one to initiate it. He wrapped his arms around her, she felt tiny compared to him, thin and small in his big arms. The sun had completely set now and there was no light in the room. He heard her voice muffled in his jacket
"Are they still out there?" Daryl pulled away and peeked out the window again, this time there were even more.
"Ya," he said. She looked worried and unsettled.
"What if they get in?" she asked, looking over at the door.
"They won't," he said "If we keep quiet they won't even know we're here."
Beth surprisingly was able to fall asleep that night but it was troubled. She could feel herself tossing and turning throughout the night. Then she had nightmares. No matter how light of a sleep she was getting, the nightmares were crystal clear in her mind. It took her back to the prison the day her father had been murdered. He was kneeling on the ground with the governor standing over him, but instead of Michonne kneeling next to him it was Maggie. She stood behind the fence alone, everyone was gone, it was just her. She watched as the Governor took of the head of both her father and Maggie. She was screaming and crying at the fence, unable to do anything, completely powerless. Suddenly she was being shaken awake. She opened her eyes to see Daryl above her. She felt completely disorientated. She sat up and looked wildly around the room, tears pouring down her face.
"Maggie's dead! She's dead!" Daryl hushed her and said
"No, she's fine, it's gonna be ok," But Beth wasn't listening, in her mind the image of Maggie's severed head on the ground wouldn't go away. She tried to get away from him, but he held her down.
"It was just a nightmare," he said. Beth's mind had started to calm down but she was still hyperventilating. He hushed her again and told her to take deep breathes. After a few minutes she managed to calm herself completely down. Daryl tried to move back to the couch but Beth grabbed his wrist.
"Please stay," she said, "Just for tonight." He hesitated for a moment before moving back the covers and getting in with her. She felt him lying behind her, although no part of his body was actually touching her. Just his presence made her feel better. Sleep came much easier and she was soon in a deep slumber.